Great Car Advice

[tvguy]

I'm on my second Hyundai Sonata - my first went just short of 100K without any issues before it got totaled in a wreck. They are solid cars. Nothing is perfect, there is one engine issue SOME cars have (something about metal shavings) but thankfully my car doesn't seem to show the problem. And they've extended the warranty to basically cover that issue indefinitely.

My current one has just short of 80K models on it. I'm tired of driving a sedan - DD is grown so no need for a "family" car anymore. But I'm going to drive it until it dies, or until retirement (another 5ish years I'm hoping).



The California "vehicle license fee" portion of your annual car registration is considered a personal property tax, at least by the IRS, since it is based on the value of the car. That's why if you itemize, you get to deduct it. (https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tip...is-your-car-registration-deductible/L06ja6RwR)

Thanks. I haven't been able to itemize in over 20 years. I wonder if the percentage of people itemizing has gone down in the last few years. My daughter bought a house and looked forward to the tax savings, but with a mortgage rate of 2.6%, her total potential deductions are less than the $12,550 standard deduction.

 

[MomToOne]

Thanks. I haven't been able to itemize in over 20 years. I wonder if the percentage of people itemizing has gone down in the last few years. My daughter bought a house and looked forward to the tax savings, but with a mortgage rate of 2.6%, her total potential deductions are less than the $12,550 standard deduction.

I don't itemize for Federal since the changes a few years ago, but I still itemize for State. Charitable contributions, mortgage interest, real estate taxes and car registration total to be significantly more than the CA standard deduction for me, as they do for many because the standard deduction is a joke. Most tax software supports itemizing at the state level even if you don't at the fed level. If your DD is in CA, tell her to give it a run.

 

[DLgal]

My Honda CR-V is 14 years old now. It's never going to die.

 

[tvguy]

I don't itemize for Federal since the changes a few years ago, but I still itemize for State. Charitable contributions, mortgage interest, real estate taxes and car registration total to be significantly more than the CA standard deduction for me, as they do for many because the standard deduction is a joke. Most tax software supports itemizing at the state level even if you don't at the fed level. If your DD is in CA, tell her to give it a run.

Yes, she did itemize on her California return. Because she barely exceeded the standard deduction she saved a whole $36 in state taxes over the standard deduction!

 

[miss0033]

Working as a mechanic in college, it amazed me the things people refused to spend money on and bought a new car instead.

You're read brake caliper is seized, going to need a new caliper, and brake pads, probably should replace the lines too as one has a bulge. It is going to be around $1,000 out the door.
UGH, I just paid it off, it isn't worth it, I will go buy a new one.

A $1,000 repair is probably what, 2 months of payments on your new car? You just paid off you car, now is the time to enjoy it. You're riding free.

DON'T listen to manufacturers claiming 10,000 mile oil changes, "Lifetime" fluids, "lifetime" timing chain.... By lifetime, they mean the average time span the original owner owns the vehicles, which is less than 100,000 miles, usually less than 85,000 miles. Coolant (all of them) eventually go bad. Even the best synthetic oils are pretty iffy by 10,000 miles. Brake fluid goes bad, transmission fluid goes really bad. But you aren't likely to have a problem in the first 80,000 miles... A little regular maintenance goes a LONG ways. There isn't a fluid you can change too often. If you read the owners manual, most of us fall in the "High or Severe Service" Categories/Intervals. Lots of city driving - severe. Lots of stop and go - severe. Lots of quick trips - severe. Etc.

What is the saying? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I think that is how it goes, and it 100% applies to vehicles.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

DON'T listen to manufacturers claiming 10,000 mile oil changes, "Lifetime" fluids, "lifetime" timing chain.... By lifetime, they mean the average time span the original owner owns the vehicles, which is less than 100,000 miles, usually less than 85,000 miles. Coolant (all of them) eventually go bad. Even the best synthetic oils are pretty iffy by 10,000 miles. Brake fluid goes bad, transmission fluid goes really bad. But you aren't likely to have a problem in the first 80,000 miles... A little regular maintenance goes a LONG ways. There isn't a fluid you can change too often. If you read the owners manual, most of us fall in the "High or Severe Service" Categories/Intervals. Lots of city driving - severe. Lots of stop and go - severe. Lots of quick trips - severe. Etc.

Fwiw the design cycle is 15 year/150k miles for most manufacturers.

 

[DisneyHardin]

In CT, you pay sales tax at time of purchase (plus whatever other registration and other DMV fees are involved) and then you have the pleasure of paying a personal property tax on your vehicle.

We have this same pleasure in Kentucky also

 

[smwisc]

I've had great luck with second hand Hyundai Sonatas. There are so many of them out there as ex-rentals that they have terrible resale value, even if they weren't rentals. You can get 10 years out of one no problem if you buy it a few years old. They run forever properly maintained.

That's exactly what we do. We've had one Sonata, two Kia Sedonas (one was totaled in a collision), and a Hyundai Elantra. They also have the long original warranty, so we usually have a good couple years under warranty (which we've never had to use).

 

[tvguy]

That's exactly what we do. We've had one Sonata, two Kia Sedonas (one was totaled in a collision), and a Hyundai Elantra. They also have the long original warranty, so we usually have a good couple years under warranty (which we've never had to use).

My mechanic says Hyundais and Kias are good cars. Unfortunately, their dealers here are few and far between, and a long warranty isn't much good if there isn't a dealer close. And their dealers seem to change a lot, and many are kind of flaky. My son is in the middle of a Lemon Law buy back with a Hyundai Kona Electric. The dealer has been a mess, let the car sit for weeks before even ordering a new battery for it. Battery finally came in after 60 days that it had been sitting in the show. 30 days out of service is an automatic Lemon Law buy back in California. My son contacted Hyundai directly, and they have been great. They were surprised that the dealer didn't contact them right away, and how the dealer seems to have mismanaged everything to do with the repair.

 

[tvguy]

Working as a mechanic in college, it amazed me the things people refused to spend money on and bought a new car instead.

You're read brake caliper is seized, going to need a new caliper, and brake pads, probably should replace the lines too as one has a bulge. It is going to be around $1,000 out the door.
UGH, I just paid it off, it isn't worth it, I will go buy a new one.

A $1,000 repair is probably what, 2 months of payments on your new car? You just paid off you car, now is the time to enjoy it. You're riding free.

DON'T listen to manufacturers claiming 10,000 mile oil changes, "Lifetime" fluids, "lifetime" timing chain.... By lifetime, they mean the average time span the original owner owns the vehicles, which is less than 100,000 miles, usually less than 85,000 miles. Coolant (all of them) eventually go bad. Even the best synthetic oils are pretty iffy by 10,000 miles. Brake fluid goes bad, transmission fluid goes really bad. But you aren't likely to have a problem in the first 80,000 miles... A little regular maintenance goes a LONG ways. There isn't a fluid you can change too often. If you read the owners manual, most of us fall in the "High or Severe Service" Categories/Intervals. Lots of city driving - severe. Lots of stop and go - severe. Lots of quick trips - severe. Etc.

What is the saying? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I think that is how it goes, and it 100% applies to vehicles.

I bought a new 1987 Chevy Suburban and drove it 31 years. I kept all the repair receipts and excluding oil changes and tires, it cost me $10,000 in repairs over 31 years.